Perinatal Lamb Mortality in a Purebred Southdown Flock

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Abstract
During a 3-year period, 133 lambs from a small purebred Southdown flock were necropsied (62.2% of dead lambs). Time of death of the lambs was as follows: antepartum (5), partum (85), immediate postpartum (19), delayed postpartum (2), and late postpartum (22). The average birth weight of the lambs was 3.45 kilograms. The causes of perinatal mortality fell into 5 categories: dystocia, starvation complex, infections, congenital anomalies and miscellaneous. The major cause of loss was dystocia (63.9% of lambs submitted, representing 11% of lambs born). Liver rupture was encountered in 47 lambs (49.4% of the partum and 29.4% of the immediate postpartum deaths). There was no significant weight difference between partum deaths and lambs with liver rupture. The incidence of liver rupture was higher in males than females (5:3). Deaths from starvation, except one, were complicated by infection, mastitis or faulty udder. Bottle feeding and nursing were accompanied by a high incidence of E. coli enteritis. Cardiac special defect was the most common congenital anomaly encountered in this flock (2.2% of lambs submitted and 0.32% of lambs born). This relatively high incidence of septal defects suggested a possible genetic cause. Copyright © 1970. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1970 by American Society of Animal Science

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